Letters: Andy Griffith

It's time now for your letters. Earlier this week, we remembered Andy Griffith. He died Tuesday at the age of 86. Griffith starred in five different TV series, made more than 30 movies and even won a Grammy for his gospel album. But his most defining role was that of a sheriff in the fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina.

ANDY GRIFFITH: We never talked about it, but the backbone of the show and the thrust of the show was love, the deep regard that these people had for one another.

SIEGEL: Apparently that love came through the TV screen.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

John Paris(ph) of Winchendon, Massachusetts, writes: I grew up in North Carolina in the late '60s, early '70s. Andy Griffith reruns were among my favorites, and I still watch them several times a week on Netflix. They evoke a simpler time that maybe never existed but should have.

SIEGEL: Marsha Bryant(ph) of Cleveland adds this: Andy Griffith was always one of my favorite performers. He had a way of making country, real country, look cool, and he had an authenticity to him that was very appealing. And Ms. Bryant concludes: I hope Don Knotts was there to meet him when he crossed over.

BLOCK: Finally, on Tuesday, we aired a review of the new collection from Boban Markovic called "Golden Horns."

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

BLOCK: The genre is Balkan brass, known for its fast pace and dancability, which is exactly why Alan Stern(ph) of Troy, New York, who was listening to our story, perched on scaffolding while painting his woodshed, called our review highly irresponsible.

He writes this: I had tuned in ALL THINGS CONSIDERED to keep me company while engaged in one of the more boring yet necessary jobs of home maintenance. Supreme Court analysis, reporting power outages all were no problem, but when it came to the riveting beats and trumpet lines of the Boban i Marko Markovic Orchestra, I knew I was in trouble.

I could not keep still. Paintbrush in hand, I started swaying to the beat, then moving my feet ever so slightly. When the scaffolding started to creak, I knew it was time to stop. I think that buying the group's new CD will be the safest thing I can do.

SIEGEL: Well, thanks for your comments. You can write to us at npr.org. Click on contact us. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.